Joshua Van recently successfully defended his UFC flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328. Despite knocking down the Japanese flyweight several times during the fight, Van was forced to patiently wait till the final round to seal the deal.
However, UFC's cutman, Brad Tate, recently revealed how the UFC flyweight champion wasn't the calm and composed man he is today heading into his UFC debut.
Van debuted in the UFC at the young age of 21 against Zhalgas Zhumagulov in 2023 at UFC on ABC 5. The flyweight champion was actually a slight underdog heading into the fight. Even so, he managed to win via split decision by outstriking his opponent in the second and third rounds.
However, 'Cutman Tate' gave fans a glimpse into the flyweight champion's mindset before his first octagon appearance. Tate alleges that Joshua Van was feeling incredibly insecure and nervous heading into his fight against Zhumagulov. Tate recalls having to hype up the Myanmar-born fighter while the event was already underway.
So I met this guy in the elevator. Short-notice fight. He was nervous as hell. He kept saying, 'Man, I don't know if I belong here.' We had to talk to him and hype him up. Then he shows up at the arena for the first fight of the night…The dude was nervous as hell. I told him, 'Bro, calm down. You got this. Flip that switch, you know?… His hands were literally shaking, and he was sweating like crazy.
Cutman Tate claimed that Van insisted on not belonging in the UFC despite his best efforts to hype up the flyweight. Even so, he managed to beat his opponent, but only because Zhumagulov showed up 'not feeling well,' according to Tate.
Nonetheless, the Burmese-American flyweight fighter has not looked back since that victory, becoming a champion and even defending it successfully last Saturday at UFC 328.
Van has clearly grown more confident in himself, even dismissing shouts of his title win over Alexandre Pantoja being a 'fluke.' But Van will soon have an opportunity to prove it if UFC CEO Dana White is to be believed.
Alexandre Pantoja suffered one of the worst, most unlucky injuries to have ever occurred in the octagon. The former flyweight champion dislocated his elbow in the opening minutes of the fight after Van caught one of his kicks and pushed him back. Though some fans and even analysts believed that he could have continued, it was apparent from his injury that the fight would be stopped by the doctor or the officials.
However, both Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja, who have rued how the fight went down, may soon have a chance at a do-over. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed at the UFC 328 post-fight presser that 'The Cannibal' was next for the flyweight champion while heaping a lot of praise on the latter.
[Joshua Van] is a promoter's dream. He's young, he puts on incredible fights, and he always wants to fight. Tonight he went to war. Alexandre Pantoja is probably the next step for him.
Dana White via the UFC 328 post-fight presserRecently, Pantoja revealed to Ariel Helwani that he was offered the fight against Joshua Van by the promotion. However, it appears the UFC's timeline did not align with the former champion's recovery. But now, Pantoja says he is ready to challenge for the title he lost in December last year.
Furthermore, Pantoja will likely need to exercise a little more patience until he faces Joshua Van. The flyweight champion received an indefinite medical suspension, which will only be lifted once he is cleared by an orthopedist. A title fight by the end of the year seems possible considering the timeline
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